Senior Michael Lai, left, and junior Til Krohn, right, with Ridgewood head coach Deirdre Tobin after the duo claimed the Groups 3-4 second doubles championship at the Bergen County boys tennis tournament.

The Ridgewood High School boys tennis team fell short of capturing the Groups 3-4 title at this year's Bergen County tournament, but two Maroons did walk away as champions from last Saturday's finals at Old Tappan.

The tandem of senior Michael Lai and junior Til Krohn knocked off Demarest's Ben Delin and Mike Sutnick in straight sets to win the second doubles championship, making it four straight years that an RHS squad has captured a county doubles crown.

"It was definitely a really good end to my career, and being able to finish with a county title is just unbelievable," said Lai, one of the Maroons' captains.

In the team competition, Ridgewood earned 12 points to take second behind Fair Lawn's 15.

However, RHS received solid efforts throughout the lineup, sending representatives to the semifinals from four of five positions.

"I think we probably overachieved as a team in the tournament," said senior captain Timber Erskine, who lost in the semifinals to No. 1 seed Freddie Zaretsky of Fair Lawn. "We beat out Northern Highlands, who we lost to twice during the year, for second place, so it wasn't a bad showing by any means."

After cruising through their first-round match against Paramus and the quarterfinals versus Tenafly on May 11, Lai and Krohn faced Fair Lawn's Sam Altshuler and Kevin Ilinets, the No. 1 second doubles pair, in the semifinals.

However, the Cutter duo's lofty ranking didn't faze Lai and Krohn, who had defeated Altshuler and Ilinets, 6-4, 6-2, just three days earlier in the North 1, Group 4 sectional semifinal.

"Going into Saturday, we both knew that we have the skill, we have the shots to pull off the upset," Lai said. "When we went out there, we just knew we had to fight for every point and just kind of win points quickly."

Lai and Krohn did just that in the early going, taking the first set, 6-4, before dropping the second set, 7-5.

"The first set was definitely very straightforward. Our game plan was on," Lai said. "However, the second set, we were still up, but Fair Lawn seemed to definitely be playing a little more aggressive, and they were taking the opportunities that they were given."

The Ridgewood tandem rebounded to overwhelm Fair Lawn in the third set, 6-1.

"In the third set, we definitely regrouped and came back together," Lai said. "When a tennis match comes down to a third set, it's definitely who wants it more. We played with our hearts and just tried to make every shot, make every point."

The victory earned the pair a meeting in the finals with the unseeded Delin and Sutnick of Demarest.

"Going into that match, and having played a long three-set match right before it, we knew that we needed to take our opportunities and close out points as quick as possible," said Lai. "We definitely tried to play our best, tried to reduce our unforced errors, and just tried to put balls in and be aggressive when we were able to put away a volley or put away an overhead."

Just about everything worked for Ridgewood in the 6-2, 6-1 victory.

"Even though the score seemed [to indicate] we won by a lot, it was still a very hard-fought match," Lai said. "Being able to win shows the seed doesn't really matter when it comes to tennis matches. It depends on how you perform that day and in that moment.

"I'm just really proud of Til for stepping up when he had to step up, and for being able to deliver the shots that he delivered," he added.

The championship signified the progress made during the season by Lai and Krohn, who were among several players just competing for a doubles spot on the Ridgewood squad.

"The more they played together, the stronger they became," head coach Deirdre Tobin said. "After getting that position solidified, they really just took off."

Although Lai and Krohn emerged as the only champions for Ridgewood, the Maroons received several great performances in the tournament.